Given the surprise hit that was Mama, it’s not surprising that Muschietti would get a crack at the new Mummy, even with his relative lack of big budget moviemaking.

Doing away with the 1920s setting and characters that served Stephen Sommers through two movies, the new film will bring the story bang up to date and let ancient terrors loose in the modern world. Though the plot of Jon Spaihts’ script is locked in a sarcophagus for now, we do know that it’ll be a darker take on the material, albeit still weighted towards action-adventure with the horror creeping in.

With prolific duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman producing alongside Sean Daniel, the addition of Muschietti (a protégé of Guillermo del Toro) is an encouraging sign. But even if he does finalise a deal, can he put his stamp on what could be a big, factory-produced tentpole?